Hello there!

Some good news to start off with today, as a new program will bring a little more childcare to the region. We'll have some good child-related news toward the end, too, as a new orca baby arrived in the ocean while the rest of L pod made an appearance by the Westshore.

Read both of those stories, and plenty in between, below.

— Cam

NEWS

New spaces are opening through the Aboriginal Head Start program in the Westshore

The provincial government announced on Tuesday that more funded Indigenous daycare spaces were coming to Colwood’s Hulitan Early Years Centre.

The facility is supported through Aboriginal Head Start (AHS) and the 48 new spaces provided will be fully funded, allowing the centre to have a higher staff-to-child ratio.

AHS is an early-learning and child care program for Indigenous children up to age six and their families. The program also provides inclusion services and wraparound support for families at no cost.

"Aboriginal Head Start Association of British Columbia (AHSABC) is growing culturally rich spaces in a big way," said Joan Gignac, executive director of AHSABC in a news release about the additional seats. "829 AHS-licenced full-day childcare spaces have been created since 2018 in 23 communities across B.C. This has been life-changing for Indigenous families."

Along with Colwood, two more spaces will open in Kelowna and Vancouver, for a total of 108 new spaces in childcare centres across the province.

A spokesperson for the City of Colwood told The Westshore, “Understanding the need for more child care spaces and trauma-informed services, the city supported creation of the child care facility on Sooke Road with fee reductions and grant contributions of over $300k. Colwood Council is pleased to support opportunities for Indigenous and non-Indigenous children to learn and grow alongside each other in a way that supports Colwood's continuing efforts toward reconciliation and deepening our relationships with Indigenous neighbours.”

Read the full story by Sidney Coles.

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NEWS

Mistrial declared in Sooke shooting case

In May 2022, a Sooke man was shot in his driveway. Two weeks ago, the trial began for the neighbour accused of shooting him. One week ago, it ended in a mistrial.

The reasons for mistrial are protected by a publication ban, the Times Colonist reports, but a new two-week trial is to begin Nov. 4.

At trial, the crown prosecutor told the court that Paul Treager and Tony Nelson of Otter Point had a long-standing feud that led up to Treager allegedly shooting Nelson in the stomach one morning.

The court also heard that after the non-fatal shot the men struggled over the pump-action rifle, which was later found lying nearby with one bullet in the chamber. Sooke RCMP say they later found Treager driving, a neighbourhood away—bruised, bloody, and with a black eye burgeoning.

Nelson was found injured outside and taken to the fire hall and then hospital. A fundraiser later gathered $10k in donations for his recovery. Describing Nelson as “one of the kindest, most generous, humble men you will ever meet,” it said that he, and his teenage son, will be “forever affected" by the driveway shooting.

Treager has been charged with aggravated assault, harassment, and firearms offences. 

Around the 'Shore

🩺 New Colwood council-run clinic will provide doctors for 10K residents: Set to open next year, it would be run in partnership with Aroga Lifestyle Medicine and Pure Pharmacy. It will eventually have 8 doctors on staff, recruited from across Canada rather than pulled from other local clinics. The city will go over plans on Monday’s council meeting.  [Goldstream Gazette]

🗳 After candidate shuffle, race set in Esquimalt-Colwood: NDP incumbent Mitzi Dean is out, as is BCU’s Meagan Brame, a former Esquimalt councillor. In are the NDP’s Darlene Rotchford, a current Esquimalt councillor and Island Health worker, and the Conservatives’ John Wilson of Wilson’s Transportation. Originally Brame was asked to switch to the Conservatives, but turned them down; she opposes many of their stances on climate and social issues. Brame instead endorsed the one unchanged candidate: Green small business owner Camille Currie, who also ran in the 2023 Langford - Juan de Fuca byelection.

⚽️ Pacific FC pulls ahead in race for last playoff spot: A 2-2 draw in Halifax yesterday put PFC a point up on Vancouver FC. The local team has two more games in Langford: Oct. 5 & 19.

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Community Events

🥘🪕 The Station Food Truck & Music Fest: Dance, magic, henna, origami, 20 food vendors, and 2 stages with music from The County Line, Posh Coat, Kuba Oms, & more. Fri 4-8pm, Sat 12-7pm at 720 Station Ave. & across the street at Veterans Memorial Park in Langford. [Info]

💯 100 Women Who Care Westshore: Join together tonight to choose which local group will receive the group's $10,000 donation at the end of the event. Doors 6pm, event 7-8pm. [Info]

💃 Beginners salsa dance class at 6:30pm on Friday at the Langford Business Centre.

🎺 Sooke Grand Parade fundraises for seniors’ charities with a community walk this Sat. 10am-2pm. [Info / register / donate / volunteer]

🥕 Goldstream Farmers Market: 10am-2pm at Veterans Memorial Park on Sat. 

🌳 Livable Futures, a 3-part climate action workshop series in Sooke, begins this Sat. 

🪓 You can drop off branches this Sat. and next at the Colwood public works yard. [Info]

👹 Brewery & the Beast food & beverage festival is now sold out.

🧠 Sooke Mental Health Fair: Food, music, community support, and workshops. Sat. Noon-4:30pm at Edward Milne School. [Info]

🚴‍♂️ Fall GoByBike Week begins on Monday, with various prizes available for logging rides.

What’s Offshore?

Whales! The were no major cargo ships parked near the Westshore yesterday. But the L Pod of Southern Resident Killer Whales were spotted off the coast of Sooke on Sunday according to the Center for Whale Research.

But although the oldest wild orca in the world was with them, two whales weren’t. L90 remained in the Haro Strait with her new calf L128. Born within the past week or so, the baby brings the endangered population’s numbers to 74 (34 in L Pod).

Westshore Snaps

“Friday the 13th sunrise” – Gary Woodburn

That was the sun, but how about the moon? Apparently on Tuesday night it was a rare supermoon, harvest moon, and partial lunar eclipse. It was a cloudy night, so many of us didn't glimpse it. But if you caught a photo, please send it in and we'll include it in Westshore Snaps on Tuesday.

That’s it!

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